Jaws thinks Joe Flacco has best arm in the league

ESPN’s Ron Jaworski ranked Flacco ninth in his ranking of NFL quarterbacks, and made clear that arm strength was the reason he’s ranked in the top 10.

“That’s Flacco’s No. 1 attribute,” Jaworski said, via Matt Vensel of the Baltimore Sun. “I get so tired of hearing how arm strength is overrated. It’s far more important than people think. He has the strongest arm in the NFL.”

Jaworski said that strength gives the Ravens “the ability to attack all areas of the field at any point in the game.”

“The element always overlooked by those who minimize arm strength is the willingness of quarterbacks like Flacco to pull the trigger,” Jaworski said. “Few recognize that because there is no quantifiable means by which to evaluate throws that are not made by quarterbacks with lesser arm strength. It’s all about dimensions.”

Jaworski went back to the sometimes-hackneyed “winner” argument, and only ranked Flacco as low as he did because “his production does not always match his skill set.”

Flacco’s arm strength is unequalled. But he makes up for his strong arm with zero pocket presence.
However, right now, Flacco is the best quarterback in the AFC North. He has surpassed Ben Roethlisberger, who led a scoring offense last season that finished 22nd in a 32-team league.
Defenses over the years have ruled in both Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and attaching a win/loss record onto either Flacco or Roethlisberger is an insult to anyone who knows anything about football, which is the ultimate team sport.

I think Flacco is primed for a breakout year. I’m obviously biased but he should improve with a full offseason with his receivers

jcb6427 says:Jul 4, 2012 5:07 PM

Jamarcus Russell had a canon for an arm but how’d that work out for him. He the biggest bust in NFL history. Yes bigger than Ryan Leaf! Strength without accuracy, a brain and some level of motivation is just another bad choice.

There is a reason why jaws was replaced on Monday Night Football and he just proved why. bobzilla you must be watching games on a raven tinted Tv. Ben’s got two rings and not so much for Joe. Talk is cheap, but the rings echo loudly. what Ben did off the field was not good but on the field well….steeler envy again.

Flacco is very over rated. Like the previous poster commented on, Jamarcus Russell and Jeff George had strong arms too. Andy dalton is already better than him. So is romo, Ryan, stafford, Vick and cam
Newton. He is toP 20 not top 10

Has anyone had a worse offseason than Jaws? It’s like he’s so desperate to get back on MNF he’s going to the Gruden, don’t say anything bad about anyone, schtick in the hopes he rehires them. Every QB he’s reviewed he’s had high praise for…

” … and only asked to not screw it up.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And that’s why I blasted my 100″ HDTV with a shotgun when Roethlisberger threw the first quarter pick six against the Packers and then followed it up seconds later with ANOTHER interception setting the Packers up for an easy touchdown and a 21-3 lead.

I’d call that screwing it up BIG TIME. Roethlisberger is the type of elite quarterback who specializes in beating crappy teams 13-9 and getting blown out by good teams.

Matthew Stafford has the strongest arm. The Madden player ratings also agree with me. You know, the people who’s full time job it is to “quantify” arm strength.

kameleono says:Jul 4, 2012 5:45 PM

The idea that arm strength alone makes someone a top 10 QB was debunked long ago. Jaws has let his biases for and against some QB’s take away some of the credibility he’s gained for supposed film study. I like Flacco as a QB just fine but if Jaws can’t just look at the film and see that Flacco’s “great arm” doesn’t necessarily translate into production, especially down the field, then he’s nuts.

“only asked to not screw it up” That little part of a sentence says more than the rest of story b/c is says to me that Flacco isn’t good enough to go out and win a gm on his own……wish old QB’s would keep their thoughts to themselves!

Flacco is very over rated. Like the previous poster commented on, Jamarcus Russell and Jeff George had strong arms too. Andy dalton is already better than him. So is romo, Ryan, stafford, Vick and cam
Newton. He is toP 20 not top 10

==================================

That’s a good one.

Every single one of those QB’s are debatable as being better than Flacco. Romo is a straight up joke, Blaine Gabbert thinks Matt Ryan wilts under pressure, Dalton didn’t beat anyone good and sucked the last 6 weeks of the season, Vick is an athlete not a QB and both him and Stafford have had one full season in their career (Flacco has never missed a game), Stafford also has Megatron who would make Gabbert look good and the jury is still out on Cam. Even Rick Mirer had an amazing rookie year.

Is Flacco top 5, no. But he is top 10 and wins games. Contrary to popular belief he does not lose them, he doesn’t throw a lot of picks and more often than not makes all the throws his team needs. Give him someone who can actually catch the ball, because Boldin, Torrey Smith and Ed Dickson and of course Evans all had a case of the drops last year, and you’ll see what he can do.

I’m not expert… but I just don’t see it. Based on what I’ve seen last year, I have to say the strongest throwing arm in the league is either Stafford or Newton. Either way, I feel they both have cannons that are superior to Flacco.

bobzilla1001 says:Jul 4, 2012 6:33 PM

Vasteelerfan: I’m 61 years old, and I’m a lifelong Steelers fan. I’ve learned over the years to think with my head, not with my heart, when comes to evaluating the Steelers.
Roethlisberger does, in fact, have two Super Bowl rings. But here’s the problem: He’s stunk in each of the three Super Bowls in which he has played.
In Super Bowl 40, he wasn’t better than Matt Hasselbeck. In Super Bowl 43, he wasn’t better than Kurt Warner. And in Super Bowl 45, he wasn’t better than Aaron Rodgers.
Roethlisberger had a brilliant 2005 postseason. But here’s the problem: He hasn’t even come close to playing that well since.
The Steelers are 4-1 the past two seasons without Roethlisberger at OB.
Football is a TEAM sport. Quaterbacks should not be judged on wins and losses. They should be judged on how often their offenses get into the end zone.

staffordsyear says:Jul 4, 2012 6:34 PM

This doesent mean hes a good qb,just that he has a strong arm according to jaws.

buzzardpointlookout says:Jul 4, 2012 6:37 PM

Fail.

Joe Flacco is not a top 10 quarterback. I’d have a hard time ranking him in the top 15.

Matthew Stafford & Jay Cutler have stronger arms than the Unibrow.

Jaworski needs to put down that crack pipe. The rock is damaging his brain.

mwindle1973 says:Jul 4, 2012 6:37 PM

When will people stop knocking Dilfer? Yes I get he lacked a lot of skills. But I give you 3 things he was for the Ravens that SUper Bowl year: 1)He was clutch, they hit big plays at big points in the game; 2) He managed the game brilliantly (which is the hob of all Qbs) 3)He was a great leader on the team. Plus if you look at that teams offense that year, their passing numbers are bad. But take out their 5 game early season slump where they didn’t score an offensive TD and add in the postseason games, and they rank up in top half of the league in passing. It’s just the 5 games stretch that killed the stats. Also it was the way they played. If you can hold the other team to 11 pts per game why wouldn’t you rely on running and STs and have your QB manage the game?

Jay Cutler IMO, i saw him throw 60 yards on a rope one game a couple years back. I remember this interview as a rookie.

— Cutler on his arm vs. John Elway’s: “I have a stronger arm than John, hands down. I’ll bet on it against anybody’s in the league. Brett Favre’s got a cannon. But on game days, there’s nobody in the league who’s going to throw it harder than I am at all.”

To be a top 10 QB you have to win a playoff game….eliminating dalton, cam, Matt ryan(far more overrated) and he’s better than Vick I mean come on guys…..sit here and tell me Vick doesn’t have 10x the weapons and what to prove in the W category?

He does have ONE OF THE BEST arms in the league. Now if only his receivers would have held on to some sure touchdowns the last two postseasons, he would have some rings to show for it! Keep hating HACKS!

no way he has a strong arm thats why he went so high in the draft but very low iq when the pocket crumbles and stinks at 20-30 yard throws that rivers manning rodgers brady can do in there sleep. Rivers throws the best deep ball in the league always leads the league in deep pass completions.

“Vasteelerfan: I’m 61 years old, and I’m a lifelong Steelers fan. I’ve learned over the years to think with my head, not with my heart, when comes to evaluating the Steelers.
Roethlisberger does, in fact, have two Super Bowl rings. But here’s the problem: He’s stunk in each of the three Super Bowls in which he has played.
In Super Bowl 40, he wasn’t better than Matt Hasselbeck. In Super Bowl 43, he wasn’t better than Kurt Warner. And in Super Bowl 45, he wasn’t better than Aaron Rodgers.
Roethlisberger had a brilliant 2005 postseason. But here’s the problem: He hasn’t even come close to playing that well since.
The Steelers are 4-1 the past two seasons without Roethlisberger at OB.
Football is a TEAM sport. Quaterbacks should not be judged on wins and losses. They should be judged on how often their offenses get into the end zone.”

Let me count the ways you are wrong. In Superbowl 40 he had a bad game….BUT…he was 23 years old youngest ever SB winner and his play leading them through the playoffs was stellar so it balances out. In SB 43 he should have been MVP, what game were you watching? His heroics in that last drive was amazing. Maybe best drive by a QB in SB history. He was insane. SB 45 that idiot Arians was too busy having him drop back deep in his endzone to hit a deep pass when Ben was playing behind a very awful O Line. He made plays later to get his team back in the game and if not for Mendenhall fumble we might be talking about 3 time SB winner. I will admit he has blundered plenty but let’s see what he can do behind a half way decent line like he will have this year.

bobzilla1001 says:Jul 4, 2012 9:08 PM

Let’s get one thing straight about Super Bowl 43, the Steelers’ offense produced just 13 points over the game’s first 58 minutes against the absolute worst defensive team in Super Bowl history.
On the game-winning drive, the Cardinals’ woeful defense became even worse when it went into a prevent.
In Super Bowl 45, Roethlisberger threw a pick-six for a TD in a six-point loss. You do the math.
As for next year’s O-line: Two rookie starters ? good luck with that.

granadafan says:Jul 4, 2012 9:32 PM

“lionsarehungry says: Jul 4, 2012 5:44 PM
Matthew Stafford has the strongest arm. The Madden player ratings also agree with me. You know, the people who’s full time job it is to “quantify” arm strength.”
===========================================

It’s hard to take anyone seriously who uses a video game to support an argument.

bobzilla1001 says:
Jul 4, 2012 9:08 PM
Let’s get one thing straight about Super Bowl 43, the Steelers’ offense produced just 13 points over the game’s first 58 minutes against the absolute worst defensive team in Super Bowl history.
On the game-winning drive, the Cardinals’ woeful defense became even worse when it went into a prevent.
In Super Bowl 45, Roethlisberger threw a pick-six for a TD in a six-point loss. You do the math.
As for next year’s O-line: Two rookie starters ? good luck with that.
—————————————————
Did you see the pick-six play?? The horrible Kemoeatu was run over by a defensive lineman and he hit Ben’s arm. That’s why the ball was short. That one was hardly Ben’s fault.

most of u guys r just flat out football idiots, u guys overlook all of `the other qb”s because u think ur teams whoever it is. is the greatest thing since sliced cheese, but when it comes to the strongest arm theres a great argument on who has it but flacco is deff in the top 10 at least, i think that stafford is right there with him but u cant put their names beside the proven qb”s that already have senoirity, go look at tom bradys first 4 years stats and compare flaccos on espn,.com

qj1984 says:Jul 4, 2012 11:28 PM

Granted, having guys like Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis and Ray Rice around him helped Flacco build that 44-20 regular season record.
_____________________________________

And Flacco helped them. The Ravens had defense and a running game before Flacco. But it was only after Flacco stabilized the QB position that they have been consistently successful. The Ravens went 6 years between playoff wins and back to back playoff seasons before Flacco. After Flacco, they’ve been every year and have won atleast one game.

That’s not a coincidence. If great defense and a great running game was all the Ravens needed they would have won more during the 6 years after their Superbowl run and they could have done it with any of the 10+ starting QB’s that they went through. But they didn’t.

I don’t care what point about Flacco you are trying to make, JaMarcus Russell belongs nowhere in that conversation. It is legitimate to debate whether Flacco is a top 10 QB right now or if he ever will be. The only top 10 debate people will have about Russell is whether he is the biggest draft bust of all time.

He’s just not that good . A elite qb can read a defense, throw the ball to the right location when the pocket crumbles . He hasn’t learned that yet and that’s why they lose the big games because he misses those throws .

So, by my count, Jaws now thinks that 13 QBs have the strongest arm in the league. Only Gruden has more guys on that list.

johnnyd1956 says:Jul 5, 2012 12:29 AM

This is the same guy who gushed all over Kellen Clemens coming out of the draft

zn0rseman says:Jul 5, 2012 12:49 AM

Ryan Mallet may not be a starter but I think he’d give Flacco a run for his money on the arm strength front.

bobzilla1001 says:Jul 5, 2012 2:03 AM

steelcurtains: Yep, I saw the pick-six play. Roethlisberger’s arm was barely touched, which is another indication that his arm strength is suspect.
It should also be pointed out that in Super Bowl 43, James Harrison’s amazing, 100-yard interception resturn for a TD right before halftime had been set by a Roethlisberger interception, which had given Kurt Warner and his high-powered offense possession from point-blank range.
As for Super Bowl 40: I find it interesting that Roethlisberger was mature enough to play a brilliant three-game postseason, but was too young to play well in the Super Bowl.
And finally, let’s try to keep Roethlisberger’s two Super Bowl rings in proper perspective: They came against the 2005 Seattle Seahawks and the 2008 Arizona Cardinals, neither of whom will ever be confused with the 1978 or 1995 Dallas Cowboys.

When will people stop knocking Dilfer? Yes I get he lacked a lot of skills. But I give you 3 things he was for the Ravens that SUper Bowl year: 1)He was clutch, they hit big plays at big points in the game; 2) He managed the game brilliantly (which is the hob of all Qbs) 3)He was a great leader on the team. Plus if you look at that teams offense that year, their passing numbers are bad. But take out their 5 game early season slump where they didn’t score an offensive TD and add in the postseason games, and they rank up in top half of the league in passing. It’s just the 5 games stretch that killed the stats. Also it was the way they played. If you can hold the other team to 11 pts per game why wouldn’t you rely on running and STs and have your QB manage the game?
————————
I imagine if I were to take out the worst 5 passing games of any team they’re passing stats would look good also.

Every single one of those QB’s are debatable as being better than Flacco. Romo is a straight up joke, Blaine Gabbert thinks Matt Ryan wilts under pressure, Dalton didn’t beat anyone good and sucked the last 6 weeks of the season, Vick is an athlete not a QB and both him and Stafford have had one full season in their career (Flacco has never missed a game), Stafford also has Megatron who would make Gabbert look good and the jury is still out on Cam. Even Rick Mirer had an amazing rookie year.

Is Flacco top 5, no. But he is top 10 and wins games. Contrary to popular belief he does not lose them, he doesn’t throw a lot of picks and more often than not makes all the throws his team needs. Give him someone who can actually catch the ball, because Boldin, Torrey Smith and Ed Dickson and of course Evans all had a case of the drops last year, and you’ll see what he can do.

Seriously dude.. Romo a “joke”… You need your head checked. Do you realize how hard that dude has to work behind that sorry excuse of an o-line. You obviously don’t know stats or the dynamics of football. Talk trash about the “trash qb’s” but you should keep a top 7 qb’s name out of your mouth seeing as you probably haven’t watched him play.

Sorry but I have watched a quite a few ravens games and I have never seen Flacco make a throw that Matt Stafford couldn’t.

ravenmaniac1950 says:Jul 5, 2012 12:51 PM

I have Been a Baltimore Colt Fan , A Baltimore Stallion, who by the way, brought the Canadian trophy to the US for the first time, and now a Baltimore Raven Fan. Just want to say a few things that may change some minds. Joe is no Unitas, but has all the abilities to become one. He is a level headed guy, does not get rattled when the chips are down, and has brought his team back from some near loss games. He has the profile to become one of the great ones. I do believe that the coaching staff needs to have more confidence in Joe and let him go out and call basically his own game. He is the one that is standing on the line and knows the defenses that he is looking at week after week. With the acquisition of the Indy Colts Coach, I really believe that this is going to be a year to remember for Joe. Say what you like but this guy has had a different QB coach almost every year , the he had Cam doing two roles and one being a QB coach, so I am sure that he has quite a ride with all the different styles. So, lets take a look at this year my friends now the Torry Smith has an entire year under his belt and Pita and Co. are not rookies anymore and with Rice working harder than he would if he had been at camp. So, do me a favor, hold off your negativity about Joe and lets see where he goes this year. I can tell you one thing, if he went out on the open market, he would not last one hour before a team would pick him up. Many have said the Ravens are in trouble because of the players they lost and and Sizzle being out maybe the entire year with the foot issue. But the Ravens are a team that are so deep with talent thanks to The Wizard of Oz. So, There are players that I think deserve the chance to move up and I am sure they will not let the team or the fans down. So, I think the Ravens will be a 12-3 team this year and will hopefully make it to the big Dance once again.

In SB 40 Roethlisberger choked on the game’s biggest stage. he had a wide open receiver and Uncle Rico’d a pass for an interception. He didn’t play well, no one is disputing that. However, he played very well leading them there and therefore his ring is not tarnished like so many like to say. In SB 43 Ben was money. Yes against a bad defense, but he made some incredible plays that only he, and maybe Vick and Rodgers can make. He played behind the worst SB winning offensive line in history. People forget just how awful Steelers’ secondary has been for years and Warner picked on William Gay all game. Ben won that game for them in the end. SB 45 on their own goal line he takes a deep drop and tries to hit a sideline pass. A) it’s a horrible call by Arians…thank God he’s gone B) Kemo the leagues worst Left Guard was blown backwards and hit Ben’s arm in the follow through. That was hardly his fault nor was the Steelers inability to stop the return for a TD. You guys are crazy to say that was the worst defense to ever win a SB. They were loaded especially in secondary even with loss of Woodson. Despite all the injuries Steelers had they made a game of it. hardly Ben’s fault.

Jaws is just such a tool, always has been and always will be. Really. Flacco strongest arm?? Have you heard of Ben Roethlisberger? Have you watched any of the Steelers’ films? Have you seen him throw the pigskin unbelievable tens of yards down the field with defenders hanging all over him and wrapping themselves around his feet behind one of the weakest O-lines in the NFL?? Come on, Jaworski, get a grip and a clue! Or just man-up.

I’m loving all this Jay Cutler love! Feels like I’ve stumbled into the Twilight Zone, but I love it none the less. And I reiterate those pro-Cutler sentiments, he does have hands down the strongest arm in the league. Keep him on his feet and they’ll be on Bourbon St.! BEAR DOWN!!!

bobzilla1001 says:Jul 6, 2012 5:52 AM

Roehtlisberger apologists bore me.
Super Bowl 43 MVP: Santonio Holmes. There was a reason for his selection. He was the Steelers’ best offensive player that day.
In Super Bowl 45, the ball was in Roethlisberger’s hands at the end with a chance to win the game. He failed miserably.
In last season’s stunning postseason loss to the Broncos, the ball was in Roethlisberger’s hands at the end of regulation with a chance to win the game. He failed miserably.
Roethlisberger is a legend in only in the minds of yours, his and the Pittsburgh media’s.

As far as arm strength goes that was pretty much the only thing Jaws had going for him in his career as I recall. No wonder the “Polish Rifle” thinks it’s an important attribute.

Personally, I don’t think it matters whether you overthrow into the second row or the sixth…

bobzilla1001 says:Jul 7, 2012 6:58 AM

The excuse that Roethlisberger was hurt at the end of the year ranks right up there with my dog ate my homework.
This guy has spent his entire career allegedly injured. If he was too hurt to perform, he should not have been playing.
Pittsburgh isn’t Indianapolis. The Steelers actually have a stable of capable backups, evident by their 4-1 record the past two seasons without Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger is already preparing for the upcoming season with some excuses up his sleeve: New offensive coordinator. He’s been whining about Todd Haley for months.

Sure, arm strength is important. Just not as important as decision-making, toughness, or accuracy.

dal24la says:Jul 9, 2012 2:50 AM

Uhm, what about Jay Cutler, Micheal Vick, and Matt Stafford?

I definitely have to go with Cutler here; Cutler routinely (thank God he has stopped as of last season) used to throw 20-40 yard strikes peddling backwards on one leg with great velocity.
If that isn’t raw arm strength Idk what iss…